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Polynesia

(Encyclopedia)Polynesia pŏlĭnēˈzhə, –shə [key] [Gr.,=many islands], one of the three main divisions of Oceania, in the central and S Pacific Ocean. The larger islands are volcanic; the smaller ones are gene...

Phoenix Islands

(Encyclopedia)Phoenix Islands, group of eight islands, 11 sq mi (28 sq km), central Pacific, N of Samoa. The chain comprises a portion of Kiribati. The two most important are Kanton (or Abariringa) and Enderbury Is...

New England Confederation

(Encyclopedia)New England Confederation, union for “mutual safety and welfare” formed in 1643 by representatives of the colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven. They met in Boston an...

Parry, Sir William Edward

(Encyclopedia)Parry, Sir William Edward păˈrē [key], 1790–1855, British arctic explorer and rear admiral. He entered the navy at 13 and made his first voyage to the Arctic under Sir John Ross in 1818 in search...

violet

(Encyclopedia)violet, common name for some members of the Violaceae, a family of chiefly perennial herbs (and sometimes shrubs, small trees, or climbers) found on all continents. Violets, including the genus Viola ...

Brahe, Tycho

(Encyclopedia)Brahe, Tycho tīˈkō brä [key], 1546–1601, Danish astronomer. The most prominent astronomer of the late 16th cent., he paved the way for future discoveries by improving instruments and by his prec...

Lewis Hills

(Encyclopedia)Lewis Hills, section of the Long Range, W Newfoundland island, Canada, S of the Bay of Islands. It rises to 2,672 ft (814 m), the highest point on the island. ...

Cook Strait

(Encyclopedia)Cook Strait, channel, c.15 mi (24 km) wide, between the North Island and the South Island, New Zealand. It was first explored in 1770 by Capt. James Cook. ...

Innuitians

(Encyclopedia)Innuitians ĭnyo͞oĭshˈənz [key], mountain range, stretching c.800 mi (1,290 km) through the Arctic Archipelago, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, N Canada. Largely unexplored, the range runs NE f...

Vaygach

(Encyclopedia)Vaygach or Vaigach both: vīgächˈ [key], island, 1,312 sq mi (3,398 sq km), Nenets Autonomous Area, off NE European Russia, in the Arctic Ocean, between the mainland and Novaya Zemlya. A continuatio...